Release Date: October 2021
RRP: $41.99/£45.99
While Power Rangers in Space might be the series with the most figures in the Lightning Collection outside of Mighty Morphin, collecting them all is certainly no easy task. Between the single box releases, deluxe figures, double packs and even multi-figure sets the price can add up quite quickly – and that even applies when only picking up the core team itself. The Power Rangers Lightning Collection In Space Blue Ranger Vs. Psycho Silver Ranger set was initially the only way to get T.J. (however he has since been also made available in a deluxe set with his Galaxy Glider), as well as the second In Space Ranger to be part of a double-pack. The set pays homage to episode 34 of Power Rangers in Space, where Silver Ranger Zhane disguises himself as a sixth Psycho Ranger to confuse and defeat the evil ranger team.
The Lightning Collection In Space Blue Ranger Vs. Psycho Silver Ranger set comes in the initial style of packaging these two-pack releases had, which featured Tom Whalen's recognisable helmet artwork on either side of the front - with the visible halves then continuing over the sides to create a full picture. As before the artwork on these two-packs features the Rangers from a face-on view, while the artwork on the single releases has them from the side. The sides of the box also feature the series logos for Power Rangers in Space. On the back of the box you'll find the usual CGI renders of the figures in action poses, and then inside both figures along with their wealth of accessories are neatly laid out across a moulded plastic tray.
The In Space Rangers may have fairly simple suit designs, but as well as creating really good uniformity across the team it's great from a toy-perspective because there's a lot less for Hasbro to potentially get wrong with them. The details on the suit are fairly minimal, so it's just a case of having to get all of them right rather than having to worry about missing a paint app here or there to meet the figure's budget. As a result, the In Space Blue Ranger looks fantastic. The shade of blue used perfectly matches how the suit looks onscreen, contrasting with the white gloves/belt/boots and yellow collar section nicely. The helmet sculpt is well done too, accurate to the onscreen version with the correct shaped visor. My copy has a few paint blemishes here and there (most noticeably splashes on the top part of the helmet and the yellow square of the chest band), but that's just unluckiness on my part.
As the fourth go around for the male In Space Ranger body, most collectors will know exactly what to expect from this figure. Altogether the Blue Ranger features;
- Ball jointed head, torso and hips
- Single hinge neck and ab crunch
- Swivel hinge shoulders, wrists and ankles
- Butterfly shoulders/pecs
- Double hinge elbows and knees
- Bicep, thigh and boot swivels
Thankfully none of the stiffness that plagued my copy in the Black Ranger seems to be present here, which suggests it might have been a problem with the black plastic (or even just my copy alone) rather than a whole team issue. Which is just as well, because there isn't really much to complain about when it comes to this guy's poseability. It's nothing out of the ordinary for the Lightning Collection as the male bodies are pretty much identical across the board, but that's just reflective of the high standard the line has when it comes to articulation.
The In Space Blue Ranger's accessories consider of a closed fist right hand, knife-strike left hand, Astro Blaster sidearm, Astro Axe (his unique weapon) and an accompanying effect part. The effect part is an old favourite of the Lightning Collection - the "spark" style melee-weapon clashing effect that was first introduced with the Mighty Morphin White Ranger in wave one and has been used numerous times since. This time it's presented in translucent yellow plastic (again nothing new), and while it isn't the most interesting of effect parts it does at least work with the Astro Axe fairly well. It plugs onto the weapon nicely, and when displayed struck against something else it has the potential to give off a really good effect. Coincidentally the Astro Axe is painted in a very similar style to the Astro Blaster - both featuring a combination of blue and unpainted grey alongside a dash of other colours for extra detail. As per the rest of the team sadly the two weapons cannot combine to make their "Booster mode" formation.
Rounding off In Space Blue's accessories is an alternate T.J. Johnson, which has a pretty good likeness to actor Selwyn Ward. Not quite as good as the head that comes with the more recent Turbo Red Ranger figure (which has a far more fitting smirk as opposed to this one's dourer expression), but definitely passable. The Space Ranger heads have been pretty hit or miss in general, and this one falls squarely in the middle of them – it’s not the best, but it's far from the worst as well.
The second figure of the set is of course Psycho Silver, which is the fourth use of the male Psycho Ranger body (following on from Red, Blue and Black as well as the Boom! comics original Psycho Green). Whereas the standard ranger teams tend to have a bit more variation between them (mainly in the helmets admittedly), the Psychos are straight copies of each other save for colour so the only real difference here is colour. Not just the shiny silver paint job, but also interestingly Psycho Silver has a gold collar piece like Psycho Black whereas the others all have white colours. As such it's a fairly unremarkable reuse of the mould, but then again what a mould it is. As with the others the sculpting on the Psycho Rangers is really impressive, with all of that black body sporting various folds and texturing to capture the different materials used on the suit. The leathery look of the torso section is especially good. The paint apps are excellent overall too, which is good news as there is plenty that could go wrong on the Psycho suits.
Despite being one of the earlier releases in the Lightning Collection, the male Psycho Ranger body still holds up pretty well when it comes to articulation. Altogether Psycho Silver features;
- Ball jointed head, torso and hips
- Single hinge neck and ab crunch
- Swivel hinge shoulders, wrists and ankles
- Butterfly joint shoulders/pecs
- Double hinge elbows and knees
- Bicep, thigh and boot swivels
Even with the bat wing-like shoulder pads extending out of the torso armour, the combination of butterfly and swivel hinge shoulders ensures that the arms movement doesn't feel impeded at all. The ball jointed torso is especially fluid, giving an exceptionally good range of motion that can fully contort the upper half of the body. Though the ab crunch may feel a little stiff at first, it's a solid addition to the torso movement and provides a satisfying click when it locks into place. Double jointed elbows and knees are as fantastic as ever, and there's plenty of rocker movement in those ankle joints to provide stability in even the wildest of poses. The few areas you will see a bit of restriction in are the neck (due to the collar) and the hips (the sculpted butt plate obstructing most backward movement), but it's nothing that significantly impacts on the mould overall.
As well as an alternate closed left fist and open right hand with a green lightning effect (staples on all the Psycho Ranger releases thus far), Psycho Silver also rather surprisingly includes his Psycho Silverizer - a twisted variation of the Silver Ranger's own Super Silverizer. The weapon appeared in the episode so it shouldn't be that surprising that Hasbro chose to include it, it's just being a fake weapon from a fake ranger disguise if there was anything you'd expect them to omit it's that - particularly since there have been so many other figures in the line missing far more important accessories. But credit where its due Hasbro have gone the extra mile to make this the "full" Psycho Silver package, and the weapon itself looks great - fitting in with the rest of the Psychos' arsenal as well as individually looking sharp with its shiny silver paint job.
What sets Psycho Silver apart from the other Psycho Rangers though is that this one does come with an alternate head, as Zhane does remove his helmet to reveal his clever ruse in the episode. This head is quite different to the one included with In Space Silver, sporting both a more serious facial expression and more refined hair sculpting. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a better likeness to actor Justin Nimmo, but the less-chiselled features certainly make it feel a little less cartoonish. It's far from being one of the best civilian heads the Lightning Collection has put out, but variety is always appreciated – particularly when this is a time they could have easily skimped out on it.
Themed releases are always a lot of fun and with the Power Rangers Lightning Collection In Space Blue Ranger Vs. Psycho Silver Ranger set Hasbro picked a great episode to pay homage to. While the idea of two In Space Rangers coming in deluxe/multi-figure sets might be a little much, the Psycho Ranger mould is always a winner. TJ is pretty much everything you could want (within the confines of what would expected of him while this point) while Psycho Silver is an interesting oddity – not necessarily the top of many people's want lists, but enough has been done to make this Zhane variant feel worthwhile. Like many of the Lightning Collection two-packs this can be picked up for well below RRP, so definitely worth it if you're looking to add to your Power Rangers in Space collection.
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